On April 12, 2023, we hosted a panel discussion featuring three queer clinicians with experience working with neurodivergent and gender expansive individuals, including:

  • Kelly Coburn PhD, CCC-SLP (they/them), Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology at Towson University
  • Rachel Martin, Psy. S., NCSD (she/they), school psychologist for the Ohio School for the Deaf and The Early Learning Center/Alice Cogswell Center
  • Carly Jones, MA, CCC-SLP (they/them), neurodivergent Speech-Language Pathologist at a career and transition center for young adults in Los Angeles.

Definitions and Terminology: 

Neurodivergent is a descriptor for individuals whose neurology is pathologized and labeled as other. Neurodivergence could refer to autism, ADHD, mental illness, and so on. On the flip side, neurotypical describes individuals whose neurology are considered the acceptable norm; allistic is more specific, describing individuals who are not autistic. 

Neurodiversity describes how every person in the human population is very different in terms of neurology. 

Gender nonconformity, gender diversity, and gender expansiveness all describe individuals who do not fit under the traditional confines of the cisgender binary. Every person has different preferences for which term they use to self-identify, while others may find any too limiting. For example, gender nonconformity could be pathologizing for some, since it might insinuate that conformity is a norm to be desired. Additionally, for some, gender diversity describes how every person in the human population has a different experience with gender, similar to neurodiversity.

Intersection of neurodivergence, gender, and gender expansiveness: 

Dr. Coburn’s dissertation shows that while autistic cisgender women use more emotion based words and show less vocabulary diversity than autistic cisgender men, nonbinary participants showed no significant differences from the sample pool at large. The differences between autistic cisgender women and autistic cisgender men stood out to the panelists, as it is highly possible that the communication style seen in autistic cisgender women can be attributed to being socialized according to the mold of how women should behave. Breaking away from long held beliefs and expectations about gender and neurodivergence in favor of assessing clients case by case is thus imperative. 

Research also shows that there is a higher incidence of autistic individuals who identify as trans and gender expansive. Similarly, trans and gender expansive individuals are more likely to exhibit autistic traits. The intersection may be due to neurodivergent thinking styles that tend to question arbitrary rules such as the gender binary, which could be what leads to more open explorations of gender, approaching it as a question as opposed to a known, definitive fact. Some individuals describe the experience of living at this intersection as being neuroqueer or neurospicy, as they find it impossible to detangle being neurodivergent from being gender expansive. 

wayS to affirm neurodivergent and gender expansive in clinical practice: 

  • Replacing check boxes on any intake or information forms with fill in the blank questions, as it would yield more accurate and personalized answers that may not fit under the perceived norm. 
  • If it is safe to do so, you can be the trailblazer for change by visibilizing your queerness. This might mean adding your pronouns to your signature and emails, wearing rainbow trinkets, etc. 
  • Pathologizing language could be replaced by replacing the strengths vs weaknesses model with strengths and areas of needs. This can mean stating what a client is able to accomplish with specific types of support, stating that a skill was not observed in the clinical setting and during the session, etc. 
  • Being mindful of the sensory environment, such as the color and type of lights—fluorescent lights are notorious for overloading the sense of most neurodivergent individuals—the presence of objects and toys to fidget with, etc
  • Giving clear expectations and outlining what each specific session entails in a step-by-step manner can help relieve anxiety for many neurodivergent clients 
  • Not being afraid to ask question and challenge what you know and what you don’t know. This might be made easier with a mentor or compassionate colleague who create a safe space for you to stumble. 

Resources suggested by our panelists and attendees:

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Published by raychen520

Ray (any pronouns) is an international student from Taiwan and an undergraduate junior studying communicative sciences at New York University. They serve as the diversity, equity, and inclusion chair at LGBTQ+ CSDSA and are committed to language and disability justice both within the context of CSD and beyond.

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